CONTENTS

An investigation is under way into the causes of an explosion of an
anti-tank missile during an exercise in a National Guard in Nicosia,
resulting in the serious injury of three officers with 15 soldiers
suffering lighter injuries,

Larnaca and Paphos international airports will undergo five million
pound facelifts in order to cover existing structural needs, until the
strategic investor is able to start constructing new buildings,

and

London's chief policeman warned today that there could be more cells of
would-be bombers at large in Britain after two waves of attacks on the
capital in the last three weeks.

An investigation is under way into the causes of an explosion of an
anti-tank missile during an exercise in a National Guard in Nicosia,
resulting in the serious injury of three officers with 15 soldiers
suffering lighter injuries. An eighteen year old sergeant, that was
due to complete his service in a few days time, has been rushed off to
Israel, at a specialist military injuries hospital. Deputies posed
questions over the causes of the incident, during a meeting of the
house of representatives defence committee. The basic question is why
live fire was used in the exercise, instead of a dummy. One of the
possible explanations given is that the missile hit the ground and
exploded at a distance while another is that it got stuck on soft soil,
without exploding. All injuries were a result of the fumes from the
explosion and if the missile had exploded near soldiers, the results
would have been even more tragic.

Larnaca and Paphos international airports will undergo a total of five
million pound facelifts in order to cover existing structural needs,
until the strategic investor is able to start constructing new
buildings. Communications minister Charis Thrasou, said during a visit
at Larnaca airport, that improvement works will have been completed by
early next year. They involve improvements to the arrival lounge, the
baggage carrying system as well as the expansion of the parking place,
that will be able to take 800 cars. At paphos airport, the parking
place will be expanded and new buses and aeroplane ladders will be
bought.

Twenty five people have died from drug use in Cyprus in the past one
and a half year, most from heroin use. According to National Centre of
Drug Information and Verification statistics, Cyprus, is in a tragic
third position among EU member states regarding deaths from addictive
substances. Denmark tops the table, with Luxemburg in second. Cyprus
is also second highest among the ten new members, after the Czech
republic.

Nearly 450 people have been killed by floods and landslides in western
India and thousands remained stranded in the nation's financial
capital, Bombay, following the worst ever monsoon rains in the region.

Half the deaths were in Bombay, a city of 15 million where rail, road
and air travel began resuming tentatively after two full days of severe
disruption.

As more rain fell across the region, rescuers were trying to recover
the bodies of an estimated 100 people buried under an avalanche of mud
in a village 150 km south of Bombay.

Phone links in Bombay were still patchy, schools were shut and many
commuters were stranded for a third day as many trains and buses were
cancelled. The airport, India's busiest, started allowing some flights
to take off after being shut for two days.

Twelve people died and 367 were rescued after fire destroyed an oil
platform off India's west coast, and officials said it may take a year
to rebuild a platform that produced a sixth of the country's oil.

Oil Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar said that it would take a month to
restore 70 percent of the platform's output of 110 thousand barrels.

An official at platform owner Oil and Natural Gas Corp. said the
platform would be replaced with a new structure by the end of next
year.

It was destroyed when a support vessel lost control in rough seas and
collided with the structure.

Coast Guard officials said several helicopters, six navy and two coast
guard ships, and many civilian vessels were scouring very rough seas in
bad weather for any survivors of the fire.

Bulgaria's Socialist party today admitted defeat in its effort to form
a minority government after parliament voted down its proposed cabinet
in a confidence vote.

Socialist leader Sergei Stanishev, proposed for the post of prime
minister told reporters that wth the lack of a necessary majority, the
Socialist party's mandate for forming a government has been exhausted.

In a secret ballot held late yesterday, deputies narrowly rejected the
cabinet proposed by the Socialists and their ethnic-Turkish allies, who
control only 116 of the 240 deputies elected in inconclusive June 25th
polls.

It will be generally fine and warm this afternoon. Winds will be
generally moderate southwesterly to northwesterly, force four turning
strong force five in southern windward areas, over slight seas.
Temperatures will rise to 40 degrees celsius inland, 35 on the southern
and eastern coastal areas, 31 on the western coastal areas and 30 over
the mountains. Tonight it will be generally fine, but thin mist and
low clouds are expected to form, mostly at dawn. Winds will remain
southwesterly to northwesterly, initially light to moderate, force
three to four, later turning light, force three, over slight seas.
Temperatures will drop to 23 degrees celsius inland and in coastal
areas and 21 over the mountains. The fire hazard is extremely high in
all forest areas.